– this blog is related to an educational purpose

BCM112

So to speak about how the virtual world realizes a physical reality, or how the virtual world can be transformed to a physical reality, I would like to put some examples which have been idealized and realized in the real world:

A 3D printer prints the digital blueprint, which is characteristically called as CAD and is sketched by a 3D modelling software, to a physical object.

A 3D modelling software, which are relevant to 3D printing, realizes a physical reality.

A digital sandbox, which also can be referred to as a virtual sandbox, realizes a physical matter.

From among those terms, I would like to choose ‘Augmented Reality’ in order to flexibly reflect a realistic aspect. In terms of real cases, the Norwegian and Swedish armed forces utilize Oculus Rift, which is a virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) and is developed by Oculus VR. And that HMD equipment is fully utilized for protecting a tank driver and for securing the wide observation angle. Furthermore, Oculus Rift also can be applicable to maximise user experience in playing video games. Grand Theft Auto 5 is the one of video games which can be played by wearing Oculus Rift. So it can be defined that Oculus Rift maximises a virtual experience onto the physical world.

According to the advancement of information technology, the world has been totally changed. The distinction between the digital and physical world will become more blurred. Especially, the boundary between experience and matters in the virtual and real world is blurred by ‘Augmented Reality’.

So to speak about the topic of this blog post, I would like to talk about the graffiti of Pompeii. Pompeii is also famous for its volcano disaster. Anyway, the graffiti shows the leaving traces of Ancient Romans.

According to the advancement of information technology, we spend more than a terabyte on the Internet. And, every IT devices automatically send our information in real-time. So, it can be defined that we leave a trace and history. George Orwell’s 1984, which also is famous for Big Brother, is realized.

According to the lecture which was held on the 9th academic week, we learned something important which is implicated to the modern society of today. Nowadays, each individual is connected to the online network. To prove that sentence, I would like to refer the definition of the digital persona which is defined by Roger Clarke. Clarke (1994) defines the digital persona as a model of the individual which is digitally established by collecting, storing and analyzing data about each person.

A hashtag

When it comes to the digital persona, a hashtag has emerged as the important role in terms of aligning and categorizing the data which are relevant to the digital persona. The hashtag has been used mostly by a social network service, such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and so on.

So to speak about the advantages of using a hashtag, the hashtag helps to comfortably align data in order to establish big data which is a large data collection and an information extraction technology. Furthermore, the hashtag helps to categorize users’ tastes based on the big data. For example, I hereby attach the link (http://www.tweetping.net/); this hyperlink is connected to the site which shows visualized Twitter activities in real-time. On the other hand, a SNS user must consider a hashtag abuse to avoid linguistic pollution.

Personally, I just start twitting recently after attending the BCM112 class. I cannot deny that it is a fun activity. Moreover, Twitter connects me with local people; so-called the era of glocalization.

Nowadays, the digital persona has become one of the important element of the digital era. At the same time, the big data, which is mentioned in this blog post, also has been magnified.

In terms of the definition of transmedia narratives, Jenkins’ weblog posts (2007, 2011) defined this as the content which flows across channels, and its stories are not tied to the channels delivering them to audiences. Moreover, this can maximise company’s profits by expanding its platform coverage.

Metro 2033 the sci-fi novel

Today, I am going to introduce one of my favourite media content. Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel written by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. The novel is set in the Moscow metro, Russia where survivors were forced to hide after the global nuclear holocaust.

Moreover, the novel-based video games Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, which were developed by 4A Games the Ukrainian video game company (http://www.4a-games.com/metro-2033.html), were also released shortly after gaining in the popularity of the sci-fi novels.

Metro 2033 the video game

Beyond the video games, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquired the screen rights to Metro franchise. (Kit, 2012) And, Mark Johnson, the American film producer and also known as the producer of The Chronicles of Narnia movies and Galaxy Quest, is going to produce the franchise sci-fi film. (Kit, 2012)

As what I wrote in this essay, I hereby argue that numerous media companies are constantly trying to find ways to maximise profits by expanding media platform coverages. And, this platform transformation excites fans as well as having a different experience in unexperienced platforms.

I (as a fan) also am excited about that news, and I believe that this will revive a whole media industry by earning extra profits such as a franchise fee. Anyway, audiences will be able to experience newly a numerous number of media contents in unexperienced platforms.

I hereby attach the opening trailer of Metro: Last Light the video game [Metro: Last Light – Enter the Metro – Live Action Short Film (Official U.S. Version)].

There is no doubt that technological advances have contributed us to produce and re-produce a large number of media contents, and to be creative at producing the media contents.

In order to argue my opinion in this essay, I use the 3 elements which are related to what a non-profit organization devotes itself to: Creative Commons, SoundCloud and ccMixter.

A subculture

Subculture

In the field of sociology (cultural and media studies), the definition of a subculture is a group of people within a culture that differentiates itself from the larger culture. So, a remix culture can be defined as a part of a subculture: the remix culture differentiates itself from an over-culture. To prove this, I argue that there are some similarities between the remix culture and the underground music culture.

Prosumer + Ripping

As I mentioned about the definition of the word ‘prosumer’ in the week 5 essay, a consumer can become a producer with electric technology. Moreover, a prosumer plays an important role in terms of the growth of a remix culture.

Creative Commons Empowers Us

Creative Commons empowers us, so we contribute artistically to a media environment by producing, mixing and sharing numerous media contents.

In addition, ccMixter (motto: “music connects us”, http://www.ccMixter.org) is a project as a part of Creative Commons, and also is a music community which is established for the activation of the remix culture including sampling, remix and so on.

Conclusion

To be honest, the theme used to this essay is a work of the greatest difficulty among the given themes. However, the good news is that I successfully (it seems so!) figured out how the remix culture was originated from the subculture, and how Creative Commons contributed to the growth of the remix culture, and so on.

Convergence has resulted in making everyone to be a participator in a media platform. Everyone choose media platforms where to contribute, and is able to upload, download and freely remix any media contents.

Everyone can become an intellectual at Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org). Every article in Wikipedia can be created and modified by every Wikipedia users. Moreover, everyone can become an artist or an illustrator at DeviantArt (http://www.deviantart.com). Therefore, the distinction between a profession and an amateur cannot be drawn anymore.

Then can it be called as either ‘producer’ or ‘consumer’? Well, I think ‘prosumer’ is fit to use a suitable figure of speech. The clear definition of ‘prosumer’ is referred and defined by Marshall McLuhan and Barrington Nevitt in their 1972 book that “…with electric technology, the consumer would become a producer”. (McLuhan, 1972)

Media technology is not meant for either specialists or IT geeks anymore. Because of convergence, the technology treats all of us equally. Everyone becomes closer with the technology, and can be a creative prosumer who have a good command of media technology.